The Way
The Way is a RPG maker game series created by Lun Calsari. This game expanded into six episodes that deals with a warrior named Rhue, and his search for his true love. This game considered one of the best installment in the series and won numerous Misao Awards including Game of the Year. Story The story begins with a first glance at the "protagonist," Rhue. He has been searching all along "The Way" which is the name given to the world of this game by his childhood friend, whom was separated from him many years earlier. His travels take him to many settlements, he meets a very wide and varied cast of characters, and has adventures ranging from dungeon crawling, to stopping sieges, to tournaments and even some acting! Meanwhile, a mysterious killer wreaks bloody havoc, and dark things stir in the Reaches. As the Way's mysteries are slowly revealed, Rhue follows the trail through mountain and forest and fire--and learns more about himself and the world he lives in than he's ever wanted to know... Episodes Episode 1 The Way follows the story of Rhue of Landorin, a young wanderer on a quest to regain a piece of his past. He's been searching the Way for many years already as Episode 1 begins. With his hopes diminishing further and further each day, he is setting a frantic pace for himself, desperate for a simple clue that might help guide him to that which he lost so many years ago. However, his situation and that of many others is about to become quite deadly as a shadow killer begins a murderous spree of destruction along the Way. Episode 2 A troubled past echoes in Rhue's mind as his skills are put to the test in a grueling three day tournament for fame, fortune, and the affections of a beautiful woman. He will have little time to sort through his thoughts. Bar fights, suicide jumpers, and an all out assault by the feared Blue Scarves await him as his search for a lost love continues. Episode 3 The horrific events of the Landorin Massacre haunt Rhue as he continues his search for Serena. Strangely, it appears that the beautiful and charismatic leader of the vile Blue Scarves may hold the secrets to the whereabouts of Rhue's childhood love. Though Rhue intends to investigate, this task may prove difficult with the mysterious and fearsome Phantom Slasher still roaming free. Prepare yourself wanderer, life is about to get very interesting as Rhue gets his first taste of the darker side of the Way. The bizarre world that exists silently in the shadows of the Way is about to become very real. Episode 4 The Way saga continues in Episode 4 - Words To A Lonely Song, as Rhue is plunged into the turbulent politics of a city of epic proportions. Torn between Guided, Vigilante, Blood Lyn, Blue Scarves, and others, Rhue finds himself in the fight of his life as he seeks out Cetsa to learn the truth about Serena. Episode 5 and 6 TBA Characters Rhue: Known formally as Rhue of Landorin, he is the main character of "The Way." A rather complex character, he is obsessed with finding his lost love Serena, at any cost. While initially weak, he eventually builds up a respectable number of combat maneuvers before the story is over. Strata: An amazingly talented sword fighter, who is first introduced when he robs Rhue. After being left for dead, Rhue steals back what is his from Strata. Strata and Rhue develop a fierce rivalry that spans most of the game, and Strata never misses an opportunity to make Rhue's life difficult. Traziun: A red-haired swordsman Rhue meets early in the first episode. He is quite a talented fighter, and seems to have some connection to the Blood Lyn, an elite group of warriors for hire. His personality is a good complement to Rhue's for the beginning of the game, and he serves as a good instructor for newer players. Gaius: A blue-haired man of mystery who has apparently had past dealings with Rhue. He seems nice enough, though there is some part of him that hides his true intentions. Much like Traziun, he may be a far more powerful fighter than he lets on. Lyrra: A young girl with a love of stories of all kinds. Her passion for fiction, and a very unique and roundabout way of talking, makes her a very entertaining character. Her silly stories though, are her way of blocking out the memories of a painful past. Cetsa A.K.A, Dancing Violet: This unique character is introduced in the beginning of the second episode. She is a pink-haired beauty who delights in getting what she wants from dazzled men. She is also apparently the leader of the Blue Scarves, a fearsome bandit troupe. Kloe: A female Blood Lyn who was contracted out to the foreman of a town named Lide. She is very powerful, quite rash, and more then a little violent. At first she and Rhue hate each other, but over time they grow quite close. Alanthreonus Phillipe Straphachar: Often called simply Alan, he is the rich snob of "The Way" universe. His manor of speech is very confusing, even for the player, so Rhue often has no idea what he is talking about. They cross swords once in a tournament in Lide, but after that all their meetings are friendly, even if Rhue can't stand Alan. Kygar: A master fighter that travels with Cetsa to cheat towns out of their money. His skill is far greater than Rhue's when they first meet, but he is bested by Traziun. He appears now and again, always changing sides. Slade: A warrior of justice, known as a Shadow Foot. Slade is viciously powerful and strongly devoted to his cause. Blindly obeying the words of his superiors causes him a great deal of remorse and depression. He also crosses swords with Rhue more then a few times, because both of them are too stubborn to talk. Scatha: A mysterious woman who lives in the reaches beneath the ground. She constantly wears a mask to hide her face. She speaks very harshly of men, which makes her interactions with Rhue when they meet very difficult. Dirk: An elderly man who claims he is a legend on The Way, yet none of the other characters have ever heard of him, aside from Scatha. He is somewhat lecherous, and never takes anything seriously, even the end of the world. Make no mistake though, his knowledge of The Way surpasses anything known by any other character we meet, even if we never see the true depths of his wisdom. Phantom Slasher: A silent killer whose identity is unknown. Appears to be following Rhue. Geography Stretches: The Way is divided into stretches of land of varying terrain. Stretches are named by forerunners. Wanderers generally choose a Home Stretch to refer to when formally introducing themselves to others. Landorin Stretch: Rhue's refers to this as his home stretch. It was the site of a massacre that forever defined Rhue as a person. The Rolling Mists: All-consuming, legendary fog that supposedly exists at the far front and back of the Way. Some claim they exist to punish those who remain behind, while deterring those who go too far ahead. Janwen: An ancient city said to have been so overcome by evil that it was burned to the ground. Has since found a home in wanderer slang and historical study. Estrana: An enormous city that Rhue encounters halfway through his journey. While seemingly friendly, it has a thriving criminal underground. As Rhue's journey continues, Estrana develops an odd significance. The Lower Way: A network of underground caverns that is more commonly referred to as the Reaches. It is infested with monsters and the lower parts are dominated by a great sea of lava. It is ruled by the Lord of the Reaches, who is apparently very powerful but remains a mystery for most of the story. The Upper Way: The heaven to the hell of the Lower Way. Although it is mentioned several times its true nature generally remains a mystery. The End of the Way: Also legendary. It is said that whoever reaches the End of the Way first will become all-powerful. There are those who say that the End of the Way is very close, but there are still others who believe the Way is eternal and therefore, the End of the Way does not exist. People Wanderer: Any man, woman or child that exists on the way. They are generally divided into Guided, who follow the will of the Purpose; Strays, who follow their own will; and Settlers, who have forsaken the Way and settled down. Some refer to the settlers as Deserters. There are different extremes of each class. Paradan: Followers of the path of Para. They are extreme pacifists, and sometimes refuse to kill even animals. The Vigilante: Those loyal to the Vigilance Council. They are the Way's police force, and have become a very influential establishment. Elite members of the Vigilance Council are known as Shadow Foots. The Guided: A group devoted to obeying and enforcing the Purpose on the Way, whether people like it or not. Believed to have formed shortly after the destruction of Janwen, they detest settlements. Bitter enemies of the Blana Sera, they are not to be confused with Guided wanderers, their less extreme cousins. Lyn: Warriors committed solely to advancing their combat ability. The Plunge has its origin firmly in Lyn culture. Lyn are classified by ability, from common Plyn to the god-like Pharaphalyn, whose abilities were so great that some now doubt Pharaphalyn ever existed. Blana Sera: Mercenaries that are trained from birth in mysterious Battle Grounds, and contracted out to employers at the age of eighteen. More commonly known as Blood Lyn. They are bitter enemies of the Guided. Blue Scarves: A formidable bandit troupe led by Dancing Violet. Its fame has spawned a look-alike gang in the city of Estrana. Its relation to the Blue Scarves proper is unknown. Music *RTP style Midi files Reception The Way has won multiple Misao Awards for almost every episode in the series, and its popularity within the RPG Maker community is comparable to that of A Blurred Line. Episodes 2, 4 and 5 are considered to be the best in the series, with 1 and 3 being the least and the value of 6 being arguable.Category:Games With Fanfiction Based on Them Category:Episodic Projects (PC) Category:Completed Projects (PC) Category:Game Series Category:Adventure Category:Fantasy Category:RPG Category:Releases (RPG Maker 2000)